Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Allured Business Media, a Charter Supplier member of the Natural Perfumers Guild, has generously supplied a CD of the three-volume book set that includes Aroma Chemicals Vol. 1, Aroma Chemicals Vol. 2 and Natural Origins Vol. 3, for a new-member giveaway. This valuable CD retails for $900, and it might be yours if you join the NPG between September 15 and October 5, 2009.

If your completed application and fee for the one-year membership is received between those dates, your name will be entered into the giveaway for the CD and other prizes. Go here to apply and here to pay the membership fee.

There will be lots of other prizes offered, too: Keepsake copies of the catalogue from Mandy Aftel's groundbreaking exhibit on natural perfumery, both mini and full-size bottles of perfumes, body care products, books, and more, all from current Guild members. All new members will be entered into a random drawing on October 5th to determine their prize - good luck!

The biggest prize, the Arctander CD, is one of the most coveted research tools in perfumery. From the Allured site:

This set includes at least 90% of all chemicals presently used in flavors and fragrances, monographs, all known natural essential oils, extracts, oleoresins along with chemical structure, practical physical data, appearance, odor and flavor type. Also available in this comprehensive set are botanical information, detailed odor and flavor descriptions, suggested uses, literature references and some safety and regulatory information.

Arctander's books are also available on one CD-ROM. Everything you could find in Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin and Perfume and Flavor Chemicals (Aroma Chemicals) is now even easier to locate on this useful CD-ROM. No time to flip page after page looking for information? A simple click of the mouse will find everything you need in this highly navigable format.

The Natural Perfumers Guild is dedicated to perfumes and all fragrance products that use botanical extracts solely as their scent source. No synthetic aromatics are used in creating the perfumes, and no diethyl phtlate or other synthetic extenders are in any of our perfumes. We create and celebrate all fragrance products that use botanically-based aromatics, as we are artisans dedicated to the alchemy and hands-on methods of time-honored traditions or natural perfumery.

Built upon the goal of fostering the art of natural perfumery through education, legislative efforts and networking among members, the Guild is an organization that welcomes all who love fragrant botanicals.

Membership

Categories, Goals and Benefits

Professional Perfumer: Two categories depending upon number of employees $125 or $200/yr.

Associate: creates body, home or environmental products scented with natural aromatics. Two categories depending upon number of employees - $125 or $200/yr.

Supplier: Vendor of equipment and materials $200/yr

Friend: Anyone interested in natural perfume $75/yr

Membership Goals and Objectives

Professionalism: Raise the professional standards of artisan natural perfumers, and to help them receive the recognition for their dedication to the artistry of working with natural aromatics.

Communication: Promote interaction and the exchange of information between artisan perfumers amd associates with suppliers to further develop the perfumer's palette and materials.

Promotion: To bring together individuals involved in the production of natural perfumes, and to represent and promote their interests to the public and media.

Education: To encourage the education and training of people interested in careers as artisan natural perfumers, and to develop a mentor program.

Sustainability: Reaching out to growers and distillers around the world to encourage the production and sourcing of boutique natural aromatics.

Legislative: The Guild monitors and actively participates in the shaping of regulations that affect the perfumery industry.

Benefits

*Listing in the Guild directory and the companion blog. This provides two websites for visitors to click through to your URL

*Media and event publicity - we are dedicated to raising public awareness of, and demand for, natural perfumery products. Additionally, the Guild will publish your press release for your business

*Use of the Guild logo on your website and on printed materials. The Guild logo is a well-recognized symbol of artisan perfumers and natural aromatics worldwide

*Discounts from Guild Members - Some members will offer standard discounts, others may negotiate on a case-by-case basis

*Early notification of natural perfumery events and classes - stay informed on what is offered in the natural perfumery world

*Access to the private Guild Forum - available to all members who wish to communicate with each other.

*Ability to participate in Guild events at a discount and also receive discounted fees for events from affiliated organizations, including professional conferences and schools

The Guild welcomes all who love natural aromatics. Our only restriction in membership is in the Professional Perfumer category. If you create both natural and semi-synthetic perfumes you will be placed in the Associate category, not the Professional Perfumer category, as that is reserved for those who use only natural aromatics.

After joining the Guild, you will enjoy a private conversation group on Yahoo where you can interact on a daily basis with other Guild members, if you wish. Guild President Anya McCoy is a frequent participant there, as are many of the members.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Natural Perfumers Guild member Saponifier Magazine's September Issue is Packed with Great Business and How-to Articlesclick the above image to view full size

Here's a peek at the Table of Contents page of the Sept/Oct issue of Saponifier magazine. Everything from boot camp basics for soapmaking to business guidelines and how to take great photos of your products are covered. Subscriptions are only $24.95 for six issues (one year). The beautiful graphics and informative articles are a pleasure to read and enjoy each issue and the bottom line is that Saponifier aims to make your business successful.